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Daniel Proussalidis, National Bureau

Jun 20, 2014

, Last Updated: 12:08 AM ET

OTTAWA — Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Beverley McLachlin denies she did anything improper by giving the feds her two cents on eligibility issues that might come up with a new Quebec appointee to the court.

"Given the potential impact on the court, I wished to ensure that the government was aware of the eligibility issue," McLachlin said in a statement Friday. "At no time did I express any opinion as to the merits of the eligibility issue."

Her defence came during a day of hullabaloo over the lead-up to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's appointment of Judge Marc Nadon to the Supreme Court — an appointment the court ruled ineligible in March.

On Thursday, Harper's office said McLachlin had tried to contact the prime minister to discuss the Nadon appointment.